Faculty

The Institute faculty will consist of experts in the field of liturgical music from around the country.

Paul H. Colloton, OSFS, D.Min. is a member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, Wilmington-Philadelphia Province. Paul is the Priest Chaplain and Associate Director of Campus Ministry for Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, OH. He served as the Director of Continuing Education for NPM for a little over thirteen years. Paul holds a D.Min. with a concentration in Word and Worship from Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. He has over 40 years experience in pastoral ministry as preacher, presider, liturgist, musician, educator, spiritual director, workshop presenter, retreat director, and author.​

Frank L. Crosio is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, where he was a student of Frederick Swann. He is a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists (FAGO) and a Fellow of Trinity College, London (FTCL). From 2006-2010 he served as Dean of the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. He has also served the AGO as Regional Coordinator for Professional Development, and currently is a member of the Board of Examiners for the Professional Certification Committee. He has been a performer at regional and national conventions of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. Frank is currently Director of Music at the Garden City Community Church in Garden City, New York, and accompanist for the Diocesan Choir and Schola for the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Prior to that, he served as Director of Music at the Church of St. Patrick in Huntington, NY and St Ignatius Loyola in Hicksville, NY.

Monsignor Joseph DeGrocco is a priest of the Diocese of Rockville Centre and is currently Pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Lindenhurst, NY. Formerly he was Professor of Liturgy and Director of Liturgical Formation at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York, and has also taught as a summer visiting professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. He earned a Master of Arts in Theology (Liturgical Studies) from the University of Notre Dame and a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception. Msgr. DeGrocco is the author of The Church at Worship: Theology, Spirituality, and Practice of Parish Liturgy, and A Pastoral Commentary on the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, both available from Liturgy Training Publications; Take and Eat: Living Eucharistically, from Catholic Book Publishing; and a Dictionary of Liturgical Terms, coming soon from LTP. He has also co-authored A Ministry of Consolation: Involving Your Parish in the Order of Christian Funerals, writes the “Q & A” column in the journal Pastoral Liturgy, and is a contributing author to Celebrating Good Liturgy: A Guide to the Ministries of the Mass and has written introductions to several documents in The Liturgy Documents volumes published by LTP. He is a member of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission for the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Msgr. DeGrocco can be seen weekly on television networks throughout the country as a host on the show Insight, produced by Telecare, the television station of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. In addition to giving many parish talks and workshops in liturgy throughout his own and other dioceses, he is also part of a four-priest Parish Mission team.

Christopher Ferraro is the Director of Music at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Lindenhurst, NY. He also serves as an organist, adjunct instructor and director of the Liturgical Music Institute at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception. He is a member of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission, is a consultant and presenter for the Office of Worship and the Office of Faith Formation, and was a member of the Roman Missal implementation team for the Diocese of Rockville Centre. He recently completed his term as the director of the Rockville Centre Chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions and is a member of the NPM Council and National Committee for Chapters. Mr. Ferraro holds Masters Degrees in Theology and Pastoral Studies as well as an Advanced Certificate in Pastoral Liturgy from the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington. He also attended the SummerSong program and studied in the liturgical studies program at the University of Notre Dame. His articles on liturgical theology have been published in AIM: Liturgy ResourcesandPastoral Music and he is currently engaged in some writing projects for Liturgy Training Publications, World Library Publications and the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions.

Alan Hommerding, Senior Liturgy Publications Editor at World Library Publications holds graduate degrees in theology, liturgy, and music from St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore, and the University of Notre Dame, with additional studies in organ, accompanying and vocal/choral pedagogy at Princeton University, Westminster Choir College and the Peabody Conservatory.

Alan is the general editor of AIM: Liturgy Resources magazine, as well as the WLP Organ Library and the WorshipWorks series. His collection of hymn texts Song of the Spirit and two collections prayers for musicians Blessed Are the Music-Makers and Proclaim the Gospel in Song have received excellent reviews and awards. As a hymnwriter, he appears in the most recent edition of Panorama of Christian Hymnody, and in the New Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Other books are Words That Work for Worship, Everyday Psalms: 150 Meditations for Learning and Living the Lord’s Song, Following Jesus Every Day, and most St. Cecilia’s Orchestra (with illustrations by Br. Michael O’Neill McGrath), winner of the prestigious Moonbeam Children’s Book Award in 2010. Alan compiled A Sourcebook about Music for Liturgy Training Publications, and is the lead essayist in The Heart of Our Music from Liturgical Press. As an organist, Alan has performed in cathedrals across the nation. An organ method book From the Piano Bench to the Organ Bench was released in 2012. In addition to his editorial work, Alan presents music clinics and reading sessions, choral and hymn festivals, and workshops on liturgy and liturgical music throughout the country. He has also been a featured speaker for the prestigious John XIII Liturgy Lecture series for the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. Alan is a member of the music advisory staff for the archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Divine Worship, and has served as a conductor, faculty member, performing artist and accompanist for many archdiocesan programs and liturgical celebrations. He is a past convener of the liturgical music seminar for the North American Academy of Liturgy, and serves on the editorial advisory board for the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. Alan has written articles and reviews for Liguori Magazine, Pastoral Music, Assembly, Pastoral Liturgy, The Liturgical Singer, Catechumenate, Ministry and Liturgy, The American Organist, Choral Journal, The Hymn, and Christianity and the Arts.

Susan Hugelmeyer has a busy career which is equally divided between work in liturgical music, teaching and performing. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Ms. Hugelmeyer is also a certified Somatic Voicework™ instructor. She has worked as a cantor, conductor and Director of Music for parishes throughout the Diocese of Rockville Centre, as well as a cantor in the Diocese of Brooklyn and the Archdiocese of New York. As a soprano soloist, Ms. Hugelmeyer has performed in music festivals in Europe and the United States as well as in Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, the “Listening Room” on WQXR and CBS Records. Ms. Hugelmeyer performs regularly as a recitalist with pianist and collaborator Jonathan Bley and with the Gold Coast Chamber Ensemble. She appears in opera aria and scenes concerts throughout the tri-state area and is a frequent soloist with area choral societies. She is director of Singing Star School of Vocal Arts and on the Steering Committee of the Rockville Centre Chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. Ms. Hugelmeyer is a regular speaker/presenter at workshops and meetings for cantors, choral singers and music directors in the art of liturgical music performance for the various dioceses in the tri-state area.

Fr. (Jan) Michael Joncas was ordained in 1980 as a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN. He served from 1980 to 1984 as associate pastor with Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Maplewood, Minnesota. Following that assignment, he was campus minister and education director for the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota from 1984 to 1987. Next, from 1987 to 1991, he was focused on graduate study in Rome where he earned a doctorate in liturgical studies from the Pontificio Istituto Liturgico of the Ateneo S. Anselmo in Rome. From 1991 to 1993, he was a parochial administrator at St. Cecilia's Parish in St. Paul, Minnesota. From 1991 he has taught in graduate programs in theology at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN; St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN; the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN; and the Angelicum University, Rome, Italy, among other institutions. Michael has published six books: The Catechism of the Catholic Church on Liturgy and Sacraments; Preaching the Rites of Christian Initiation; From Sacred Song to Ritual Music; Within Our Hearts Be Born. The Michael Joncas Hymnary: Advent and Christmas, We Contemplate the Mystery: The Michael Joncas Hymnary: Lent and Triduum, and collaborated with Michael Driscoll on The Order of Mass: A Roman Missal Study Edition and Workbook. Over 250 of his articles have appeared in publications such as Worship, Pastoral Music and Ecclesia Orans. He also has composed more than 300 pieces and recorded more than 20 collections of liturgical music. He is currently Artist in Residence and Research Fellow in Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Keith S. Kalemba, born and raised in New Jersey, began his formal composition studies in 1990, when he attended a student composition summer seminar at Westminster Choir College. He received a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Temple University in 1994, where he studied with Maurice Wright and Matthew Greenbaum and piano with Charles Abramovic. He also studied audio engineering. He received his Master of Music in Composition from Temple in 1996, where he was a graduate fellow and taught computer music. Keith's first experience of Catholic music ministry was as choir director for the Temple University Newman Center for four years. He was a delegate to the 1994 World Youth Day celebration in Rome, at which he represented the Catholic Campus Ministry Association. After moving to Illinois, Keith was director of the contemporary choir at St. Luke's Church in River Forest for three years. ​Keith joined the editorial staff at World Library Publications in 2001. As a music editor, his responsibilities include editing of octavos, songbooks, and instrumental music. He lends his production and performance skills to various WLP recordings. ​In addition to his work with WLP, Keith is active in his parish, Ascension Church in Oak Park, as assistant choir director, and is on music staff at St. John of the Cross in Western Springs. He is a member of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, where he has also been a presenter and board member of the Chicago chapter. Keith lives in Oak Park, Illinois, with his wife, Clare, sons Sebastian and Xavier and daughter Rose.

Lisa Evard Kelly is Director of Music at Our Lady of the Snows, Floral Park, NY and The Cathedral Seminary Residence in Douglaston, NY. Having earned a B. A. in Music at Queens College, she continued to study organ with William Whitehead, piano with Dr. David Gagne and harp with Jean Goldstein. Lisa is co-founder and artistic director of “Musical Themeworks”, a cultural enrichment program for children. As a free lance harpist, Lisa performs regularly with a chamber ensemble, “Trio Fantasie.” The trio, an elegant combination of harp, cello and flute, recently performed at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center with the Glenn Mohr Chorale. In October, 2009, Lisa travelled to Rome and was organist at three basilicas: St. Mary Major, St. Paul Outside the Walls and St. John Lateran for the Masses celebrating the canonization of St. Jeanne Jugan. Also a music educator, Lisa teaches grade K-8 at St. Joseph School in Garden City and gives piano, organ and harp lessons privately. Lisa is a member of the music commission for the Diocese of Brooklyn.

John J. Miller serves the Archdiocese of Newark as the Director of Music Ministries for the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Music Coordinator for the Office of Worship, Artistic Director of the Cathedral Concert Series, and chapter director for the Newark Chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. As a frequent recitalist and clinician, John is in demand as both a performer and clinician in the areas of choral conducting and organ performance. He maintains a busy schedule of concerts and workshops as a speaker in the field of liturgical music. As both an active choral conductor and organist, his European performances have taken him to Rome, Venice, Leipzig, Prague, Salzburg, and Vienna. Locally he has been featured as solo organist as well as a guest conductor with the New Jersey Symphony, and is the conductor of the Cathedral Symphony and Chorus. Recent engagements include conducting chorus and full orchestra in performances of Beethoven NINTH SYMPHONY, Mendelssohn ELIJAH, Verdi REQUIEM, Duruflé REQUIEM, as well as a fully staged production of Poulenc’s DIAGLOGUES OF THE CARMELITES. He is also featured as conductor on the recordings “With Songs of Jubilation” under the GIA label, and “A Christmas Carol Sing” under the Pro Organo label, and “Salve Mater” under the DMAS label. Mr. Miller holds a Bachelor Degree of Music, cum Laude, in organ performance and sacred music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where he was the first recipient of the Jean Langlais Sacred Music Award. He graduated from Westminster Choir College (Princeton) with a double Master of Music degree with distinction in organ performance and choral conducting. Additionally, he was awarded the highest honor from the American Guild of Organists with the conferring of the Fellowship Certificate. John was given the honor of “Full-time Pastoral Musician of the Year” in 2001 by the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. He is co-author of the publication: A Qualifications Statement and Bibliography for the Parish Musician, published by the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. He lives in West Orange, New Jersey with his wife, Mary Clare McAlee and their son, Alex.